Ever wondered what it’s like to be a part of the world’s leading market-making company in the lead up to a 20,000+ attendee event?
Hey! My name is Sara and I’m a second-year student of Communication Science. Welcome to my life as a Commercial Marketing Intern at Informa Markets – Smartcore.
About Informa & Smartcore
Informa, with its roots in 1998’ London, is currently known as the world’s leader in event management delivering over 550 international experiences annually through face-to-face networking events, exhibitions, and digital content. While operating in over 30 countries, I’ve joined the Dutch division, Informa Markets.
Where does Smartcore come in? A few years ago, Informa Markets launched a business called Fi Marketing Services that evolved into Smartcore – best-in-class B2B food and nutrition marketing solutions partner for smarter digital campaigns. With the goal of maximizing brands’ visibility and generating leads of the highest quality, Smartcore has a database of over 400,000 ingredients professionals. The brand also conducts promotional campaigns leading to the biggest nutraceutical industry events happening twice a year – Vitafoods Europe (May) and Fi Europe (November).
A Glimpse into My Life Leading Up to Vitafoods Europe 2024
The first half of my internship was mainly focused on promoting the upcoming Vitafoods Europe event in May 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. Each day brought new tasks, challenges, and insights, but I will try to share an overview of what my typical day looked like pre-event.
I start my workday at 9 a.m. at the very modern and bright office in the World Trade Center Amsterdam. Usually, I spend the first couple of minutes grabbing my morning latte and chatting with my office besties.
The first task I was responsible for is creating a social media promotional strategy pre- and post-event, as well as on-site. While the brand’s YouTube and LinkedIn pages have already been in use, I helped to launch their Instagram and Facebook profiles after business’ rebranding. First, I worked individually since I needed to search through social media trends and adjust them to meet Smartcore’s needs. Afterwards, I had catch-ups with my line manager and the wider team to discuss how to improve and implement my ideas. I recorded short clips of our Digital Sales team with an invitation to Geneva and made a reel out of it. For on-site recording, I briefed my teammate, the Commercial Marketing Senior Executive, and she ensured the video shots were taken for me while I supported my team online by preparing and posting timely social media posts.
Around 1 p.m., I take my lunch break at the office cafeteria, which I use for networking with my coworkers. Everyone is super nice and willing to share their professional experience, tips, and funny work-related stories with me.
The afternoon time I spend on various meetings, collaborating between departments and divisions. Most often, these are catch-ups between the Commercial Marketing and Digital Sales teams to optimize campaigns based on the leads we generate and discuss strategies for supporting the promotion of Smartcore’s digital products during the event.
I wrap up my day at 5 p.m., making sure I’ve completed all the tasks. Sometimes after work, I attend events organized by our Social Committee or go out for drinks with my office friends.
Post-event Reflection
As we’re already past Vitafoods Europe 2024, I can say it was a wonderful experience that has taught me a lot about marketing, sales, and event management. If you’re curious about what Smartcore team enjoyed most about the event, check out our on-site reel here.